Removing floating debris from a swimming pool is a continuously necessary maintenance task. To accomplish removal of such debris, water is typically drawn from the pool via an aperture in the wall of the pool and into a filtration device called a skimmer, which traps debris that is removed from the pool in this manner. Contained in the skimmer is a basket that filters the water carrying the debris, thus trapping the debris and preventing the debris from passing through to a pump in communication with the swimming pool for water circulation. As the skimmer basket accumulates debris, it eventually becomes clogged. Thus, cleaning of the skimmer basket is a necessary and regular task for maintaining proper swimming pool water circulation and clarity.
Most skimmers include a lid or cover, which is normally mounted flush or slightly raised with respect to the pool deck to avoid creating a tripping hazard. As a result, a skimmer lid or cover is usually difficult to remove. A lid may include a hole at its center or a plurality of holes located off center, closer to the edges of the lid. The removal of the lid may require a person to insert their fingers through the holes to grab the lid. Once the lid is removed to expose the underlying basket, removal and cleaning of the basket is often an unpleasant and possibly a dangerous task, due to the various types of biological debris and insects/reptiles that can fall into a pool and eventually be swept into the skimmer basket. In addition, most skimmer baskets include some type of a handle, which can be used to lift the basket from within the skimmer well. Quite often, however, such basket handles can break off, creating difficulties when attempting to lift the basket. In addition, even when the handle is intact, a user is still required to bend over, reach into the water and/or debris, through the undesirable contents of the basket, to manually grab the handle of the basket.
Devices have been designed to assist with the abovementioned maintenance tasks, the majority of which include tools having a single rod and/or a single hook used to engage and lift portions of a skimmer. However, these devices do not provide an effective means for removing a skimmer well lid, in addition to lacking an effective means for removing the skimmer basket from the skimmer well and/or removing debris from the basket.
Due to the fact that many skimmer well lids have unlatching or removal openings/holes positioned at the sides or off-center of the lid, rather than at the center thereof, a conventional tool created for such a purpose (e.g., a tool having a single hook) is not adequate for removing a skimmer well lid. Further, such a tool does not distribute the lifting force equally throughout the lid, which tends to lead to the breaking of the lid and/or the basket, as well as an ineffective lifting of the lid and/or basket. For example, as the lid is lifted on one side by such a tool, it is pulled unevenly and may become jammed against the sides of the skimmer well. If this happens, a user must then bend down to manually unlock the lid to uncover the skimmer well. A need therefore exists for a tool that will effectively remove a skimmer well lid without jamming or otherwise causing the lid to become stuck or broken and will allow for the lifting and/or replacing of the lid, without requiring the insertion of fingers through the lid, thus providing a safer manner to lift and/or replace the lid.
Some conventional tools (e.g., tools having a single hook) may be used to remove a skimmer basket by its handle. However, a single hook focusses all forces, and the weight of the basket, on the middle of the handle, which can cause the handle and/or basket to break. In situations where the skimmer basket does not include a central handle, or if the handle has broken, the basket must be lifted by gripping the sidewalls thereof. In such cases, a tool having a single hook is not adequate, as such, a tool can only engage the basket on a single side. Such tools do not equally distribute the lifting force on the basket and typically cause the basket to turn sideways, spilling its contents down the skimmer well and into the water pump, which creates potential source of damage to the pump. Further, when this occurs, the user will have to bend down and manually clean the basket, forcing the user to be exposed to potentially undesirable contents. Therefore, a need exists for a tool that can effectively grip and lift a skimmer basket without breaking the basket or allowing it to turn sideways upon lifting. A need exists for a tool that will evenly distribute the lifting forces and weight of the basket about at least two or more points along the rim of the basket.
In other situations, a skimmer basket may become overfilled with debris, and a user will be unable to locate the handle or the rim of the basket. Conventional tools are not usable to grasp and lift debris from the skimmer basket, as the debris is located within the skimmer well. In such situations, a user must bend over and manually clean at least a portion of the debris from the basket before being able to remove the basket from the skimmer well, to complete the cleaning operation. A further need exists for a tool that can be used to remove debris from the skimmer basket while it is located within the skimmer well, without requiring a user to manually reach a hand into the skimmer well to clean or remove at least a portion of the debris from the basket.